Air-moistener for steam-containers.



J. A. CLARK & c. H. 000w.

AIR MOISTENER FOR STEAM CONTAINERS. APPLICATION FILEDIUNEB. 1916.

v 1 ,%47,3?5., I Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

M 1 0 P J wuemicou anemia mm ea JOHN A. CLARK AND CLIFFORD H. CODE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS Tfi THEMSELVES AND SYLVESTER J. MCNAMARA, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

mama's.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. so, act '2.

Application filed June 3, 1916. Serial No. 101,654.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. CLARK and CLIFFORD H. CooN, citizens of the United States, and residents of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kin s, and State of New York, have invente certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Mmsteners for Steam-Containers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an air molstener for steam radiators and other steam containers, its purpose bein to equip such a container with simple an reliable air moistening means which may be controlled with nicety and which will prevent any objectionable escape of water of condensation.

This purpose has been effected in a compact attachment combining an air valve with the humidifier or air mostemng means proper.

It is well-known that heating the air of a room decreases its relative humidity, and lack of the due amount of moisture in the heated air of a room is recognized as an evil injuriously affecting its woodwork and furniture and the health of its occupants and handicapping certain industriesduring the winter months, but the quantlties of moisture really needed are greatly in excess of the amount commonly believed to be sufficient, and many of the simpler air moistenin devices are entirely inadequate for practical humidification of houses in winter. Many devices, some of them 1n the nature of radiator attachments, have been employed .in attempts to remedy the condition referred to. H

Air valves for steam radiators are ordinarily designed to permit the escape of air but to prevent the escape of water and of any material amount of steam, the escape of moisture from them being spasmodic and when the valve is out of order constituting an annoying defect since the high velocity of the steam may project an excessive amount of water of condensation so as to injure adjacent furnishings. 7

One of the objects of the invention is to obviate this defect and the bubbling'and pounding in the float chamber caused by the interact-ion of the steam supply, the water of condensation and the float.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that attachments for air valves dependmg for their supply of steam upon the air valve, which are not designed or constructed to rectify or regulate the irregular nature of the supply from the air valve into the attachment, will, like the air valve itself, dellver moisture in an irregular manner. The amount delivered by such attachments is dependent upon the variability of the efiiux from the air valve to which it is attached. Further it is evident that if attachments to air valves are used to deliver steam to a room in quantities suiiicient for practical humidifying purposes, that part of the steam which enters such attachment will condense in or upon its walls and ultimately the water will accumulate in such quantities as to be forced from the attachment by the steam. That is, such attachments soon become open to quite similar objections as the air valves to which they may be attached. This invention is designed to remedy such defects and to constitute an effective, definite, reliable and adequate moistener for steam heated rooms, by eliminating the spitting of drops of water due to the issuing stream of steam, when an air valve is being used to furnish steam in adequate quantities for practical humidifying purposes; by eliminating the spasmodic emission of steam from the air valve, to the end that the flow may be "sensibly continuous over long pe riods; by furnishing a ready and simple means of regulating the quantity of flow of steam from the device into the room,

without recourse to wrenches, keys or tools; and by furnishing a scale and index either graduated in arbitrary units or empirically calibrated, to the end that the operator may have such means at hand that he may secure a sensibly fixed and, if he chooses, a predetermined quantit of moisture.

It is to be remarks that air valves as a class employ the thermo-expansion of solids, liquids and gases and other means to close the valve against the steam of the container or allow it to be emitted in minimal quantities; that at the time when the radiator is giving out heat at about its maxi mum rate such valves are delivering moisture in but minimal quantities; that when they should be giving the greatest amount of moisture if used as humidifiers, they are in practice giving none or practically none. A novel feature of thisinvention is that 1t does not close against the steam but 'ves a great humidifying eflect when need or the moisture is great.

- Referring to the drawingsi Figure 1 is a perspective view of the air moistener;

Fig. 2, a central vertical section through said moistener on a larger scale; I

Fig. 3, a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2 looking in direction of'the arrows;

Fig. 4 isa detail perspective of the double valve seat or bushing; and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective showing the inlet end of the steam pipe and the capillary strips for withdrawing moisture therefrom. The device consists of two communicating chambers, the valve chamber 1 provide with the threaded nipple 2 for attaching the device to the steam container 3 and the expansion chamber to be hereinafter described. Within the chamber 1 is a suitable float 4; which carries at its outer extremity a needle valve 5 shaped to fit a seat 6 in the double valve seat or threaded bushing 7 which is adjustably mounted in the top of the valve chamber, the adjustment of the bushing and therelative proportion and arrangement of the parts being such that when the device is in operation an amount of steam suflicient to be adequateto the air moistening requirements passes continuously through said valve to the passage in the bushing.

To furnish asteam supply which does not encounter the water of condensation or impinge on the side of the. float thus causing bubbling or pounding, means is provided for conducting steam for humidifying pur-' poses to the upper part of the float chamber. The pipe 8 which performs this ofiice does not close the nipple 2 but leaves a drainageway 9 by which water of condensation may return to the container, the cross-sectional areas of the supply pipe 8 and the. drainageway 9 being so proportioned that the pipe forms the path of least resistance. This pipe has a further function of increasing steadiness of emission. The inlet end 10 of the pipe 8 is provided with novel means to remove any drops of water of condensation which might collect there and be held there by capillary, adhesive forces or surface tension, thus insuring a free path for the steam supply. The known physical principles e1n bodied in the construction of this part of the device are essentially as here stated:

(a) Water has a greater attraction for some substances than for others, and hence some are more easily wetted than others.

(6) Water will be drawn into capillary large mass of water tubes or interstices when it wets their walls and the more readily it wets them the greater is this capillary action.

(a) The smaller the capillary interstices the greater the capillary action.

(d) Surface films are under tension and tend to contract. If-furnished with converging walls nearly' in contact so as to provide capillary spaces, this tendency is not only sufiicient to move them along the walls, but to lift them-together with relatively against the force of gravity.

The inlet 10 is provided with a material which is easily wetted by water and which constitutes capillary means for drawing water from the inlet or orifice. In the form illustrated it consists of capillary converging surfaces a, 1) extending fromJthe inlet into thecontainer, these surfaces being in the form of strips of impervious material preferably metallic zinc set in an inclined position so that gravity will assist the drops of water to run down the zinc and drip from it. These surfaces are shown flat and this construction is satisfactory although they might be curved crosswise as well as lengthwise. They should be very close to gether, say a sixty-fourth of an inch at their greatest point of separation, converging from that point until they are almost in contact. The valve chamber 1 is surrounded by a shell 11 open at the top and closed at the bottom so as to constitute an annular air insulating space and to receive and evaporate moisture of condensation as will be hereinafter explained.

The expansion chamber is superposed upon the valve chamber, being preferably mounted adjustably as by the screw threa d ed coupling 12, 13. in which the member 12 is associated with the valve chamber and the member 13 with the expansion chamber. A manually adjustable valve 14 cooperating with its seat 15, and which may be operated independently of the valve 5, governs the amount of steam issuing from the passage in the. bushing 7, entering the expansion chamber and impinging against suitable battling means with which said chamber is provided. This valve 14: is preferably so constructed that even though closed it still permits the escape of a small amount of steam. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways as by providing a channel 16 in the seat or in the valve. Rotary movement of the expansion chamber adjusts the valve 14 which, in the preferred form is mounted upon and operated by a bafile plate 17 which surrounds the valve, is located at the bottom of the expansion chamber and is secured to the main wall or casing 18 so that the steam issuing from the opening in the valve 14 impinges upon it. A relatively large open space 19 is provided in the interior of the expansion and scattered, the expansion chamber thus acting to transform a small jet of steam of high velocity into a relatively large'stream of correspondingly low velocity so that any water which may condense will be evaporated close to the attachment. The expansion chamber is lined with a layer of sound deadening material 21, as felt. Theoutlet of the expansion chamber which we prefer to locate at the top has a covering 22 of a material permeable to steam such as closely woven cloth, but which prevents dust and dirt from entering the chamber.

When, as is the case in the operation of this device, steam is being emitted in quantities sufficient for practical humidifying purposes, the water of condensation becomes an important and diflicult factor to deal with. In order to distribute and evaporate this water a capillary coating or layer 23 of suitable material, as cotton gauze, is spread 4 over and against the outer walls of the expansion chamber, evaporation being facilitated both by the increase in surface and by the contact with the heated walls. In order further to furnish heat to assist in evaporation, apertured conducting material, preferably a gauze 2-1 of a good conducting metal, is placed around and in contact with the capillary coating 23, the base of the gauze being in metallic contact with the main wall 18 which is of metal so that heat may travel from the hot casing to the capillary coating. The gauze also overlies and is in contact with the covering 22.

At this point the function of the shell 11 which surrounds the valve chamber 1 will be more fully apparent, since it is obvious that the location of the expansion chamber above the valve chamber and preferably within the periphery of the shell 11 is such as to enable any excess water of condensation to run down from it into the cup or pocket which the shell 11 constitutes and be readily vaporized. This also reduces heat losses by insulating the valve chamberl.

An index and scale, one of which is movable relative to the other, are provided, the scale 25 being conveniently located on the top of the valve chamber 1 and the index or pointer 26, which plays over it, being carried by the expansion chamber. It will be noted that the index 26 will move as the expansion chamber is rotated and that at the same time the valve 1 1 will move toward or from its seat 15 according to the direction of rotation, this movement and therefore the position of the valve being indicated by the scale both air and water.

and pointer. The scale is either graduatedin arbitrary units or empirically calibrated in units of mass or volume as the service demands. The index and scale serve as a guide to the user and they give him a means of estimating the relative quantity of moisture he will receive from the container. They will also enable him to make settings and to reset it to sensibly the same conditions of emlssion as may have obtained on some previous occasion.

The manner of operation of this invention is essentially as follows:

When the device has been attached to a radiator and the steam turned on, air will begin to be forced out through the valves 5, 6, and 14, 15, thence into the expansion chamber and thence to the room. After an interval, (depending upon the pressure of steam and the capacity of the radiator) moist air will begin to be emitted and ultimately steam will begin to flow and will continue to flow as long as the supply is maintained.

It is obvious that at the beginning of the operation steam may enter, and does enter, through both the supply pipe 8 and the drainageway 9, but within a very few min utes the water formed by the steam which condenses in the float chamber will begin to run down to the base of the float chamher and there tend to impede the steam in its progress through the drainage way 9,

so that the supply pipe 8 which does not share this hindrance, for reasons already set forth, will now be furnishing the steam, while the water of condensation from the float chamber will return through the drainage way.

If, as may happen water has accumulated or is forced into the radiator, air will begin to pass out as described, until sufficient water has been forced into the float chamber to raise float and close the valve against The float chamber is then only partially filled with water. The water thus checked in its outward journey by the closing of the valve 5, begins to re turn through the drainage way into the container.

This valve will remain closed until enough water has been returned to allow the float to fall sufliciently to open the valve. Water which may have lodged in the inlet 10 of the supply pipe 8 will be drained by the zinc capillary surfaces at, 6, provided for the purpose.

The supply pipe at this time furnishes a means of equalizing the fluid pressure in the float chamber with that in the contalner, thus facilitating the return of the water through the drainage way. This process will be repeated until the radiator has sufliciently freed itself of water in the usual manner, when the valve will remain open Such steam as may have condensed in or on the top, or Water which may have been carried to the top by the steam, is spread out by the capillary covering 23. The covering receives heat from the hot walls of the expansion chamber and also from the conducting gauze 24, thus facilitating the evaporation of the Water.

By simply rotating the expansion chamber the valve 14 may be opened or closed, without disturbing the adjustment of valve 5, and at the same time the index 26 will move over the scale 25 and the quantity of. moisture regulated from a minimum value, which approaches zero, to the maximum capacity of the'device. The device has been deliberately constructed so that the possible minimum shall not be zero, but an amount which is very small as far as its humidifying efiect is concerned' If by chance drops of water should collect in quantities greater than the capillary coating is able. to evaporate and for that reason run down the outside of the float chamber, they would run into the space between the hot walls of the fioat chamber and its outer coating where they would rapidly evaporate.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In an air moistener for a steam container, a valve chamber in communication therewith, a float valve in said chamber, means for receiving steam from said container and delivering it direct to the upper part of said chamber, and capillary means associated with said receiving and delivering means for removing water of condensation therefrom.

2. In an air moistener for a steam container, a valve chamber in communication therewith, a float valve in said chamber, a nipple connecting said container and chamber, a pipe extending from the mouth of said nipple to the upper part of said chamber and capillary means for removing water of condensation from the inlet to said pipe.

3. In an air moistener for a steam container, a valve chamber in communication with said steam container, a float valve in said chamber, a steam pipe placing the container in communication With the upper part of the valve chamber, and capillary means adjacent the inlet of saidpipe to withdraw Water of condensation therefrom.

4. In an air moistener for a steam container, a valve chamber, a pipe for delivering steam thereto, converging strips of impervious capillary material located close together adjacent the inlet end of said pipe to withdraw'water of condensation therefrom.

6. In an air moistener for a steam container, a valve chamber, a pipe receiving steam from said container and delivering it direct to the upper part of said chamber, strips of capillary material located close together adjacent the inlet end of said pipe and extendingaway from said end downward and closer together, to withdraw water of condensation.

7. An air moistener for a steam container comprising incombination, a valve chamber having an inlet for steam from said container, an expansion chamber rotatably mounted on said valve chamber, said chambers being in communication by a passage, anair valve in said valve chamber controlling the inlet tosaid passage, and a valve carried by said expansion chamber adjustable on rotation thereof and controlling the outlet from said passage.

8. An air moistener for a steam container having an inlet for steam from said con tainer, an expansion chamber rotatably mounted on said valve chamber, said cham bers being in communication by a passage, an air valve in said valve chamber c0ntrol ling the inlet to said passage, and a valve carried by said expansion chamber adjustable on rotation thereof and controlling the outlet from said passage, said expansion chamber and valve chamber being provided one with a scale and the other with an index.

9. An air moistener for a steam container comprising in combination, a valve chamber having an inlet for steam from said container, a bodily movable expansion chamber superposed on said valve chamberand coaxial therewith, said chambers being in communication by a passage, and axially arranged oppositely disposed valves in said chambers controlling said passage, the valve in the valve chamber being automatic in its operation, and the valve in the expansion chamber being manually adjustable by movement of the expansion chamber.

10. In an air moistener for a steam container, a bodily movable expansion chamber having a steam inlet, and a valve for controlling said inlet operated by movement of said chamber.

11. In an air moistener for a steam container, a rotatable expansion chamber, a valve for admitting steam to said chamber controlled by the rotation thereof, a scale comprising in combination, a valve chamber and index, one of which is stationary and the other of which is movable with said rotatable expansion chamber.

12. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber provided with an inlet valve for steam and a battle plate surrounding said inlet valve to deflect steam passing through said inlet, said valve being mounted on and movable with said baflie plate. v

13. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having acover and inclosing an enlarged open space", an inlet valve to admit steam and a'baflie plate interposed directly in the path of the steam between said valve and said space and presenting openings located at a distance from the middle of said path, to spread out and slow down the steam. i

14. An air moistener for a steam container comprising in combination, a valve chamber having an inlet for steam from said contamer, an expansion chamber in communication with said valve chamber by a passage, valves controlling said passage, one of said valves being located in the valve chamber and being automatic in action and the other being manually operable, a bafiie plate surrounding said manually' operable valve and acting to deflect steam delivered to it thereby.

15. An air moistener for a steam container comprising an expansion chamber, and means for automatically controlling the delivery of steam thereto, said chamber hav- 1 mg openings to admit steam located at widely separated points inclosing an enlarged open space and having a baffle plate the center of which is imperforate interposed in the path of steam delivered to it to spread it out but permit its passage to the said openings and space.

16. An air moistener for a steam container comprising an expansion chamber having its side wall lined with a layer of sound deadening material and inclosing an enlarged open space, means for automatically delivering steam to said space, a battle plate interposed in the path of the steam to spread it out but permit its passage to the said space, the structure presentmgfree openings for that purpose.

17. An air moistener for a steam container comprising an. expansion chamber, and means for automatically controlling the delivery of steam thereto, said chamber 1nclosing an enlarged open space and having a bafiie plate interposed in the path of steam delivered to it to deflect it but permit its a capillary coating in contact with said metal wall and adjoining said closure.

18. An air moistener for a steam container comprising an expansion. chamber, and means for automatically controlling the-dellvery of steam thereto, said chamber incloslng an enlarged open space and havmg a baiile plate interposed in the path of steam delivered to it to deflect it but permit 1ts passage to the said space, said chamber being provided with a sound deadening lining, said chamber having a metal wall conducting heat, a closure permeable to steam,

a capillary coating in contact with said metal wall and adjoining said closure, and an apertured metal covering in contact with said coating.

19. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having an outlet, a layer of capillary, material adjacent the same and in contact with the outer wall of the expansion chamber, and layers of heat conducting material one of which is the outer wall of the expansion chamber between which said layer of capillary material is interposed. v

20. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having an outlet, a layer of capillary material adjacent the same and exterior to the expansion chamber, and layers of heat conducting material one of which is the outer wall of the expansion chamber between which said layer of capillary material is interposed.

21. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having an outlet, a fibrous covering therefor permeable by steam, a body of capillary material adj acent said covering and in contact with the outer wall of the expansion chamber, and layers of heat conducting material one of which is the outer wall of the expansion chamber between which said layer of capillary materialis interposed, the outside layer being apertured.

22. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having a metal wall, a layer of capillary material in contact with the exterior of said wall, an outlet, and a layer of fibrous material permeable by steam covering said outlet and extending from points adjacent said layer of capillary material.

23. In an air moistener for steam container, an upright expansion chamber having a sheet metal side wall, and an outlet at the top, a covering permeable by steam for said outlet, and a layer of capillary material in contact with the exterior of said side wall. a

24. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having a metal wall, a lining therefor of sound deadening tllil materiahan outlet, a cover therefor permeable by steam, and a capillary coating in exterior contact with said metal wall and extendin from a point adjacent said covering.

25. ii an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having a metal wall, an outlet, a cover therefor permeable by steam, a capillary coating in outside contact with said metal wall and extending from 'a point adjacent said covering, and metal gauze in exterior contact with said covering and said capillary material.

26. In an air moistener for a. steam container, an expansion chamber having a metal wall, a lining therefor of sound deadening material, an outlet, a cover therefor permeable by steam, and a capillary coating exterior to and adjacent to said metal wall and extending from apoint adjacent said covering.

27. An air moistener for a steam container comprising in combination, an expansion chamber, a steam inlet therefor, means for automatically controlling the passage of steam to said inlet, a valve controlling said inlet and a battle plate at the bottom of said expansion chamber adjacent said inlet deflecting steam delivered by the last named valve but permitting it to pass to the interior of said expansion chamber, the structure presenting a free opening for that purpose, said expansion chamber having an outlet, and material permeable by steam covering said outlet and permitting but retarding the passage of steam therethrough.

28. An air moistener for a steam container comprising a valve chamber having an inlet for steam from said container, a shell surrounding said chamber open at the top and closed at the bottom and constituting an air insulating space and means to receive and evaporate moisture of condensation, an expansion chamber superposed on said valve chamber provided with an outlet permeable by steam, a heat conducting wall and a cap illary coating in outside contact therewith.

29. An air moistener for a steam container comprising an air valve chamber, a shell surrounding said chamber open at the top and closed at the bottom and constituting an air insulating space and means to receive and evaporate moisture of condensation, an expansion chamber superposed on said valve chamber provided with an outlet permeable by steam and having a wall provided 011 its exterior with a capillary coating, the outer wall of said expansion chamber being located within the perimeter of said shell to enable the same to receive moisture of condensation which may drip from the outside of the expansion chamber.

30. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having a layer of sound deadening material lining its outer wall and inclosing a free open space within said linin 31. An air moistenerfor a steam container comprising in combination, a valve chamber having an inlet for steam from said container, an expansion chamber rotatably mounted on said valve chamber, said chambers being in communication by a passage, an air valve controlling the inlet to said passage, a valve controlling the outlet from said passage and adjustable on rotation of said expansion chamber, and operative connections between said expansion chamber and said last named valve.

32. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having an outlet and an unobstructed interior providing a large free space, a layer of material permeable by steam covering said outlet and a layer of sound deadening material in inside contact with the inner Wall of the expansion chamber.

In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having an unobstructed interior and having a layer of sound deadening material in inside contact with its wall, said chamber and layer inclosing a free open space.

34. In an air moistener for a steam container, an expansion chamber having an outlet at the top, a covering therefor permeable by steam, a layer of capillary material adjacent said covering and in exterior contact with the outer wall of the expansion chamher, a layer of metal gauze exterior to and in contact with said covering and layer of capillary material and in contact also with the expansion chamber.

35. An air moistener for a steam container comprising an air valve chamber, a shell surrounding said chamber open at the top and closed at the bottom and constituting an air insulating space and means to receive and evaporate moisture of condensation, an expansion chamber superposed on said valve chamber provided at the top with an outlet and having a wall, a layer of capillary material adjacent said outlet and extending down adjacent the outside of said Wall, the outer wall of said expansion chamber being located within the perimeter of said shell to enable the same to receive moisture of condensation which may drip from the outside of the expansion chamber.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. CLARK. CLIFFORD H. COON.

Witnesses S. J. MONAMARA, A. T. GHEGAN. 

